How Worried Are You About The Future of College Sports?

[Heisenberg]

I've noted in other threads that many D1 programs are hacking their athletic budgets and cutting staff.  Now these two stories ...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2020/06/27/under-armour-seeking-terminate-ucla-deal-280-million/112026178/
Under Armour seeking to terminate $280 million apparel deal with UCLA
The apparel company is trying to back out of its deal with UCLA, claiming it has been "paying for marketing benefits that we have not received."

(Translated, if UCLA is not fielding teams in UA apparel, as a constant advertisement, we want out of our deal. And if UA can get out of paying UCLA, UA and Nike are getting out of paying everyone! They need the money.)

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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-29/williams-college-cuts-price-15-cancels-sports-in-virus-tumult
Williams College Cuts Price 15%, Cancels Sports Due to Virus
Williams College, the richest liberal arts school in the U.S., is reducing its cost by 15% for families on a one-time basis for the coming academic year and canceling sports competition and travel for the season as the coronavirus upends higher education.The changes come "in recognition of the extraordinary circumstances and of this academic year and the uncertainty we face in the year ahead," the Williamstown, Massachusetts, school said in a statement Monday.Tuition, room and board for the 2020

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I put this thread here instead of the superbar as the evidence keeps mounting (with the new spike in positive tests) that we might not see any college sports this coming school year. 

Thoughts.

[MUUWUWM]

Not only College sports..but high school also? Colleges lose their feeder system....Pro's next?

[MUUWUWM]

On a more fun note....hmmm helmets with built in face masks?

[Billy Hoyle]

UA is cutting off Cal as well.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/06/29/ucla-cal-attempt-to-stare-down-under-armour-as-reckoning-looms-for-their-wobbly-budgets/

Nike took a huge hit this past quarter and is looking to make deep cuts.

[Daniel]

There is lots of pressure everywhere in the system economically.  This Covid is not going away and we don't have a solid effective treatment, cure or vaccine.  I cannot see stadiums filling up in fall without major advances on medical front. I'd be willing to buy my season ticket just to support Marquette even with no season. Praying for the best. 

[tower912]

House of cards for years.    So many football programs being propped up by taxpayer dollars and student fees.     We will have to see if a new paradigm emerges.   

[The Sultan]

I'm not really "worried" about the future of college sports.  It will likely look very different for a couple of years and may involve less Division 1 teams, but that's OK.

But the idea that we are going to have packed stadiums this fall, winter and spring is a foolish one.  Frankly playing in front of empty, or even barely filled arenas, should be considered the best we can hope for.

[Uncle Rico]

When you dance with the devil...

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

When you dance with the devil...

[pbiflyer]

I think the new ability to pay athletes in the various states (Florida just started) will have a bigger impact than the current situation. But with  all of these things coming together, I suspect the college sports landscape will change tremendously in the coming years.

[Heisenberg]

I'm not really "worried" about the future of college sports.  It will likely look very different for a couple of years and may involve less Division 1 teams, but that's OK.

But the idea that we are going to have packed stadiums this fall, winter and spring is a foolish one.  Frankly playing in front of empty, or even barely filled arenas, should be considered the best we can hope for.

A big part of college sports revenues is the gate receipts.  TV deals alone will not cut it.  They will be running Athletic Departments at huge losses.

MU/Big East is better than most as it is not dependent on football and can hope that by next spring the situation can improve to allow some kind of live fan base.

[The Sultan]

A big part of college sports revenues is the gate receipts.  TV deals alone will not cut it.  They will be running Athletic Departments at huge losses.

MU/Big East is better than most as it is not dependent on football and can hope that by next spring the situation can improve to allow some kind of live fan base.

No sh*t???  Really???  Paid attendance is important to college athetics???  I HAD NO IDEA!!!!

Some income is better than no income so that's why they will do what they can to get games on TV.  And colleges and universities will find ways to cut costs, but will likely operate at an even greater loss next year.  But high profile universities aren't going to junk their high profile sports programs because they can't have crowds for a couple of years.

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

I believe the greatest thing that could ever happen to high schools in the US would be to get athletics the F out of there!!!  The distraction, expense, and general crap show caused by athletics is overwhelming to the actual purpose of these schools!!

[GoldenWarrior11]

The present landscape and current model of college athletics - and let's be honest, college football, really - was living on borrowed time to begin with.  The elite head coaches are being paid $10 million annually.  Stadiums are consistently being upgraded and modernized with unnecessary improvements as part of a large-scale arms race for elite athletes - which, in turn, creates more wins, which leads to more exposure, which leads to alumni donations, which leads to higher admissions numbers.  Many assumed the pay-for-play model would radically shift the collegiate model into even more have/have not's; few considered a global pandemic would actually be the lit match against the powder keg, but here we are.  I am not worried in the slightest, but only because I recognize that significant change needed to occur even before COVID.

[The Sultan]

The present landscape and current model of college athletics - and let's be honest, college football, really - was living on borrowed time to begin with.  The elite head coaches are being paid $10 million annually.  Stadiums are consistently being upgraded and modernized with unnecessary improvements as part of a large-scale arms race for elite athletes - which, in turn, creates more wins, which leads to more exposure, which leads to alumni donations, which leads to higher admissions numbers.  Many assumed the pay-for-play model would radically shift the collegiate model into even more have/have not's; few considered a global pandemic would actually be the lit match against the powder keg, but here we are.  I am not worried in the slightest, but only because I recognize that significant change needed to occur even before COVID.

I can guaranty you that the P5 football schools, with their highly paid coaches and upgraded stadiums, are going to survive this much better as a whole than the schools who have been chasing this dream.

[Heisenberg]

No sh*t???  Really???  Paid attendance is important to college athetics???  I HAD NO IDEA!!!!

Some income is better than no income so that's why they will do what they can to get games on TV.  And colleges and universities will find ways to cut costs, but will likely operate at an even greater loss next year.  But high profile universities aren't going to junk their high profile sports programs because they can't have crowds for a couple of years.

I was trying to say they might lose more money having sports without crowds than shutting it down altogether.

So they will have to sell the idea of intentionally losing more money to compete than to shutting it down.

[The Lens]

House of cards for years.    So many football programs being propped up by taxpayer dollars and student fees.     We will have to see if a new paradigm emerges.

Not really.  They (Power 5) were bloated by tens of millions in TV revenue and spent like drunken sailors to create the illusion they were breaking even.  When S+C coaches started making $600,000 all sense of normalcy left the building.  And of course these contracts were helping prop up the non rev sports.  Had they saved for a rainy day, they might be able to withstand the loss of fans for a season or two.  Now, not so much.   

[The Sultan]

I was trying to say they might lose more money having sports without crowds than shutting it down altogether.

So they will have to sell the idea of intentionally losing more money to compete than to shutting it down.

No they will not lose more money playing without television.  The media contracts, primarily driven by football, more than cover the marginal costs of playing games.

The largest costs, student grants-in-aid, coaches salaries, are largely fixed. 

[GoldenWarrior11]

I can guaranty you that the P5 football schools, with their highly paid coaches and upgraded stadiums, are going to survive this much better as a whole than the schools who have been chasing this dream.

Oh, no doubt - but at least it will slow (if not stop) the rapidly increasing expenses and costs to a significant degree. 

[NCMUFan]

Sports is an entirely entertainment industry.
Us bored American males (not all, but the great majority) will not let it die.
Covid is only temporary, once it is gone and we are willing to spend our time watching it with the sponsors of the games commercials it will all come back.
Non-money maker sports may be severely scaled back or eliminated, but when a dollar can be made, it will return.

[4everwarriors]

No worries. Got bigga fish ta fry. It will bee, watt it will bee, hey?

[Billy Hoyle]

No they will not lose more money playing without television.  The media contracts, primarily driven by football, more than cover the marginal costs of playing games.

The largest costs, student grants-in-aid, coaches salaries, are largely fixed.

No fans may help TV revenue. Take Ohio - 100,000 Ohio State fans now unable to go to the Horseshoe and many others now unable or unwilling to watch at bars now tuning into the BTN, ABC, and ESPN for games.  Ratings increase, ad revenue increases and the payouts from the TV deals go up.

My dad wondered if we start moving to PPV with fans not able to get in the stadiums or arenas (of which he is one right now).  $20 for a game that you would have paid $100+ to attend? What diehard doesn't go for that? 

If fans are limited or prohibited from MU games this year would you buy PPV games for MU? Even if Dicky Simpkins is brought back? I'm sure most would.

[The Sultan]

Why would they move to PPV?  They have contracts in place already.

[Heisenberg]

Why would they move to PPV?  They have contracts in place already.

+1 they already sold the rights.  The schools no longer own them, the network does.

[Billy Hoyle]

Why would they move to PPV?  They have contracts in place already.

The networks would. It's what they did in the 90's. Not every game would be PPV but some would be.